Author: Hope Daley

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/uj/uj58h15kkejrq924.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" />OMA and Morphosis, along with two other unknown firms, have been shortlisted by the city of&nbsp;Chengdu in China's "Unicorn Island" design competition. The new development will be China's version of Silicon Valley, functioning as a hub for successful &ldquo;Unicorn&rdquo; technology firms&mdash;those that reach a value of $1 billion or more within their first 10 years.&nbsp;

OMA's scheme organizes the island into three rings, the "Living Lab" at the center of the action, the "Weave Zone" branching out with housing, offices, and amenities, and the outer perimeter housing the Unicorn company's headquarters.

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/uj/uj58h15kkejrq924.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" />OMA and Morphosis, along with two other unknown firms, have been shortlisted by the city of&nbsp;Chengdu in China's "Unicorn Island" design competition. The new development will be China's version of Silicon Valley, functioning as a hub for successful &ldquo;Unicorn&rdquo; technology firms&mdash;those that reach a value of $1 billion or more within their first 10 years.&nbsp;

OMA's scheme organizes the island into three rings, the "Living Lab" at the center of the action, the "Weave Zone" branching out with housing, offices, and amenities, and the outer perimeter housing the Unicorn company's headquarters.

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/0f/0fluogn9su9woooh.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em>The insulation that burned out of control on Grenfell Tower had never passed the required safety test and should never have been on the building, a BBC investigation has discovered. Panorama understands the manufacturer, Celotex, used extra fire retardant in the product that qualified for the safety certificate.

A more flammable version was then sold for public use, the programme believes. Celotex said it is co-operating with the police investigation and inquiry.

Last June the Grenfell Tower fire in London killed 72 people prompting ongoing investigations. It has been found that the RS5000 insulation used in the building's refurbishment gives off toxic fumes containing cyanide when burned. Almost all who perished in the fire were killed by smoke.
The manufacturer Celotex has been accused of misleading marketing, selling their insulation as compatible with other cladding panels and tower block refurbishment—both of which are false. Safety was neglected as the cladding panels Continue reading "New findings state Grenfell Tower insulation never passed fire safety test"

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/0f/0fluogn9su9woooh.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em>The insulation that burned out of control on Grenfell Tower had never passed the required safety test and should never have been on the building, a BBC investigation has discovered. Panorama understands the manufacturer, Celotex, used extra fire retardant in the product that qualified for the safety certificate.

A more flammable version was then sold for public use, the programme believes. Celotex said it is co-operating with the police investigation and inquiry.

Last June the Grenfell Tower fire in London killed 72 people prompting ongoing investigations. It has been found that the RS5000 insulation used in the building's refurbishment gives off toxic fumes containing cyanide when burned. Almost all who perished in the fire were killed by smoke.
The manufacturer Celotex has been accused of misleading marketing, selling their insulation as compatible with other cladding panels and tower block refurbishment—both of which are false. Safety was neglected as the cladding panels Continue reading "New findings state Grenfell Tower insulation never passed fire safety test"

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/us/usqx0f0q89j25b3g.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>&ldquo;From Bauhaus to Our House,&rdquo; Mr. Wolfe attacked modern architecture and what he saw as its determination to put dogma before buildings. Published in 1981, it met with the same derisive response from critics. &ldquo;The problem, I think,&rdquo; Paul Goldberger wrote in The Times Book Review, &ldquo;is that Tom Wolfe has no eye.&rdquo;</p></em><br /><br /><p>Tom Wolfe, an innovative <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/16528/journalism" rel="nofollow" >journalist</a> and novelist, died on Monday in Manhattan at the age of 88. Wolf lived in New York since joining The New York Herald Tribune as a reporter in 1962, and went on to influence what is known as New Journalism. Inciting hostile reactions to some of his work, Wolf notably condemned <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/9222/modern-architecture" rel="nofollow" >modern architecture</a> receiving harsh backlash from <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/625145/architecture-criticism" rel="nofollow" >critics</a>.</p>

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/2q/2qadiiccpf2a5gc0.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><strong></strong><a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/123490/philadelphia" rel="nofollow" >Philadelphia</a> has made significant contributions to architecture in the US, from introducing the row house back in the 17th century to erecting the first international style skyscraper, the PSFS Building. The city is also home to <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/19781/robert-venturi" rel="nofollow" >Robert Venturi</a>'s Guild House, one of the most important examples of <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/649827/postmodernism" rel="nofollow" >Postmodern architecture</a>. This week we have gathered up some exciting opportunities located in the city currently active on <a href="https://archinect.com/jobs" rel="nofollow" >Archinect Jobs</a>. You can also check back in on <a href="https://archinect.com/jobs/search?q=&amp;q_radius=25&amp;region_id=2146253&amp;location=Philadelphia%2C+PA%2C+US&amp;submit=Search" rel="nofollow" >current Philadelphia based jobs</a> anytime!

James Bradberry Architects is currently hiring an Architectural Designer.Meeting House by James Bradberry Architects, located in Philadelphia, PA. Image: James Bradberry Architects.
The firm is seeking an entry level Architect / Architectural Designer to join their team working on select residential, non-profit institutional facilities, including schools, libraries, universities, religious facilities, and exhibition design. The studio is willing to consider part time employment or wor...

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/d0/d0u6mds7edahum4e.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>While some were delighted that at least a small part of the architectural heritage of Robin Hood Gardens was being preserved for posterity, others were furious that the V&amp;A &ndash; a so-called &lsquo;arms-length&rsquo; body, governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Prime Minister &ndash; considered the estate valuable enough to collect, but not valuable enough to help save from demolition in the first instance.</p></em><br /><br /><p>The story behind London's brutalist Robin Hood Gardens reveals issues pertinent to our current housing crisis. Crystal Bennes unpacks the <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150053367/v-a-s-three-story-chunk-of-demolished-housing-to-be-shown-at-venice-architecture-biennale" rel="nofollow" >V&amp;A's decision to preserve and display a section of demolished housing</a> in this year's <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/871008/2018-venice-biennale" rel="nofollow" >Venice Architecture Biennale</a>, revealing condemnation of the building before it was even completed.&nbsp;</p>

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/jf/jfq66f99qznp77b6.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><p><a href="https://archinect.com/fosterandpartners" >Foster + Partners</a> met with the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, a state bordering India&rsquo;s southeastern coast, to oversee the next design stages of the state's new capital Amaravati. Foster + Partners will design the central area of the governmental complex including two key buildings, the&nbsp;Legislature Assembly and the High Court Complex, as well as&nbsp;several secretariat buildings.</p>

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/ig/igkjxljjgpkfs7w9.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><p>Through an interdisciplinary effort, the&nbsp;Design Museum's new building has been awarded the 2018 European Museum of the Year. In 2016 the museum moved to its new west London&nbsp;location, a 1960's modernist building renovated by&nbsp;<a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/1280/john-pawson" >John Pawson</a> with work from a range of top studios such as <a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/382/oma" >OMA</a>, <a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/47465/allies-and-morrison" >Allies and Morrison</a>, and <a href="https://archinect.com/aruparchitecture" >Arup Architecture</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/4f/4fdhqo2bybxqxcgo.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em>A hardscrabble half-mile stretch along the Chicago River's South Branch would become a vibrant neighborhood of cutting-edge architecture, parks and a riverwalk in the plans a developer unveiled Thursday for the last big piece of empty land near downtown.

Developer Related Midwest plans a transformation of the vacant, relatively isolated 62-acre site into a vibrant neighborhood of homes, restaurants, cultural institutions and businesses...

The currently undeveloped site along Chicago's river has been named "The 78", declaring its scale large enough to add to the city's official number of 77 neighborhoods. The site is also rumored to be a contender for Amazon's HQ2 if the city is chosen, which would require reworking current plans.
Current 62-acre riverfront site in Chicago. Image: Mark Segal/Related Midwest.
Plans for the massive development include 13 million square feet of building space for residential, office, educational and other uses. 12 acres would be dedicated to

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/2p/2pnx3p3o62virj5u.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em>Spider silk has long held the title of strongest natural biomaterial, so scientists have been trying to harness it, mimic it and even improve on the recipe for years. Now, researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new biomaterial out of wood nanofibers that steals the strength record.</p></em><br /><br /><p>A new material called "super <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/17153/wood" rel="nofollow" >wood</a>" is eight times stiffer than silk, which has been considered one of the strongest <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/403660/biodesign" rel="nofollow" >bio-based</a> materials. KTH researchers found a new technique to "densify" wood where fibers assemble to make the cell walls stiff and strong, a process called&nbsp;cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs).&nbsp;

This wood nanomaterial is found to be as strong as steel, surpassing metals, alloys, ceramics and E-glass fibers. Researchers assert the technique could be used to produce strong and lightweight materials for constructing cars, planes, bikes, and furniture—as well as helping to assemble other nanofibers like carbon tubes.

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/ps/psn7v99xwz6kxju5.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em>Much is at stake for US and European companies enjoying revived trade with Iran following US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s decision this week to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and impose fresh sanctions.

Hardest hit will be oil and gas firms, plane makers like Airbus and Boeing, and car makers.
But European engineering and construction firms, recruited in the last two years to help Iran develop its transport infrastructure, could lose out as well.

US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and impose new sanctions will drastically impact European engineering and construction firms and could restrict the availability of international finance for big schemes.
After the nuclear deal was signed, Iran launched immense transit programs spending around $25 billion. Vinci and Ferrovie dello Stato have signed deals in Iran’s expanding rail and aviation sectors.

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/yp/ypp3c7go80jn3fhh.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>Homelessness in America has reached crisis levels and I am determined to do everything in my power to fix the problem as long as it doesn&rsquo;t involve changing zoning laws or my ability to drive alone to work or, well, changing anything, really. I&rsquo;m more than happy to give a hungry man a sandwich once a year and then brag to my friends about it as long as he doesn&rsquo;t sit down anywhere in my line of sight to eat it. Same goes for hungry women because I&rsquo;m also a feminist.</p></em><br /><br /><p>A superb piece satirizing the <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/314845/homelessness" rel="nofollow" >homelessness</a> and <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/322270/housing-crisis" rel="nofollow" >housing crises</a> by McSweeney's writer Homa Mojtabai. From a privileged and entitled point of view, Mojtabai highlights extreme issues on how problems are being "solved". This is of course an exaggeration&mdash;but by how much?&nbsp;</p>

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/2g/2g4whf67j5d4az58.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><strong></strong>A historically important architecture hub, Chicago has served as the home to influencers such as William Le Baron Jenney, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ludwig Mies. The city has defined architectural language through the Chicago School, International, and Prairie School styles&mdash;setting the standard for tall, modern buildings. This week we have gathered up some exciting opportunities on <a href="https://archinect.com/jobs" rel="nofollow" >Archinect Jobs</a> located in the Windy City. You can also follow&nbsp;<a href="https://archinect.com/jobs/search?q=&amp;q_radius=25&amp;region_id=2072497&amp;location=Chicago%2C+IL%2C+US&amp;submit=Search" rel="nofollow" >the latest Chicago-area opportunities</a> anytime!

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/ew/ew3j7r3xq4qgw92m.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><p>A new center for Most Mira, a UK and Bosnia based arts and peacebuilding charity, will provide further opportunities for the organization to operate in Bosnia. Founded by former&nbsp;Omarska concentration camp detainee Kemal Pervanic,&nbsp;Most Mira aims to build peace in war-torn communities through engaging ethnically diverse locals in activities such as art festivals and theater programs. The Most Mira Peace Centre will enable the organization to establish a more permanent presence in the community and provide a safe space where they can host and develop their regular activities all year round.</p>

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/8j/8j5t5rj7uqapb2kv.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" />Giuseppe Gallo,&nbsp;a PhD candidate in Architecture at the University of Palermo, has created a series of <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/9397/posters" rel="nofollow" >posters</a> inspired by 9 <a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/39902/big-bjarke-ingels-group" rel="nofollow" >Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)</a> projects.&nbsp;Gallo is the creative director of Mirabilia, a communication design studio based in Palermo, with a background in <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/9395/graphic-design" rel="nofollow" >graphic design</a>.&nbsp;

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/dd/dd3hxecxdp9p9q00.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" /><em>What if buying a house were more like buying a car? Could the process of choosing between a Ford, Volkswagen or Nissan ever translate into picking between an Adjaye, Rogers or Assemble? Beyond the dream of ever being able to buy a house, the prospect of commissioning an architect-designed home is an impossibly remote prospect for most of us, a luxury confined to the glossy pages of Sunday supplements and Grand Designs.</p></em><br /><br /><p>The founders of Cube Haus have commissioned well known architects such as&nbsp;<a href="https://archinect.com/adjayeassociates" rel="nofollow" >Adjaye Associates</a>, <a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/54850810/skene-catling-de-la-pena" rel="nofollow" >Skene Catling de la Pe&ntilde;a</a>, and <a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/83073930/carl-turner-architects" rel="nofollow" >Carl Turner Architects</a> to design <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/781244/modular-housing" rel="nofollow" >modular homes</a>&nbsp;at affordable prices. Targeting infill and backland sites in the London area, Cube Haus is looking to fill a small housing niche with well-crafted, off-plan new properties.

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/0f/0fq3akuo9kswfbfg.png?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" />Architecture studio&nbsp;<a href="https://archinect.com/kierantimberlake" rel="nofollow" >KieranTimberlake</a>&nbsp;used passive strategies to cool their <a href="https://archinect.com/news/bustler/6470/aia-cote-distinguishes-the-2018-top-ten-award-projects" rel="nofollow" >new Philadelphia office building</a> and installed 300 sensors to record data on how it was performing. Along with their network of sensors, the firm also developed an app called <a href="https://www.roastsurvey.com/" rel="nofollow" >Roast</a> for their employees to rate how they felt in the building.&nbsp;

The Roast app asks the user, “How are you feeling today?” allowing quick surveys pre-populated questions based on building industry standards.
The app offers an interactive online interface to analyze occupant comfort. Filter results to compare comfort acrosss space over time.
This kind of post-occupancy evaluation focuses not just on the building's stats, but also on how people are experiencing the space. Together with metric data and employe experience feedback, the firm was able to produce an overall better design. The building was awarded the AIA’s new Top Ten Plus Award this month, an annual honor given to a building Continue reading "KieranTimberlake develops an app to analyze occupant experience in passive architecture"

<img src="https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/gb/gb16r3mkwpeb6qf5.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200" border="0" />A&nbsp;new&nbsp;housing project in <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/812/paris" rel="nofollow" >Paris</a> was recently redeveloped by the Brussels-based firm BOB361. The apartment complex,&nbsp;Orteaux, is part of a larger <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/230693/revitalization" rel="nofollow" >revitalization</a> project for a Parisian neighborhood located near the P&egrave;re Lachaise cemetery.&nbsp;

Orteaux by BOB361, located in Paris. Image: BOB361.
As part of this revival, the building consists of 21 apartments and functions as a sustainability pilot project for the city. It is the first project in Paris to receive the Écoquartier label. The entire redevelopment consists of 109 dwellings (75 of which are newly built), a public garden, and a range of commercial premises. Orteaux by BOB361, located in Paris. Image: BOB361. Orteaux by BOB361, located in Paris. Image: BOB361.
The entire housing block is located in a heavily built-up, and neglected area within the 20th arrondissement of Paris. Initially scheduled for demolition, the block was saved as a result of local protests. The city of Paris Continue reading "Brussels-based BOB361 contributes to a Parisian neighborhood’s revitalization with this eco-friendly housing project"

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